A sailor was rescued on Tuesday (October 6) after a merchant ship sank in the Black Sea off NATO member Bulgaria following a drone strike that Prime Minister Rumen Radev described as a gross violation of international law.

It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack by air and sea drones about 70 miles (112 km) off the coastal town of Byala in eastern Bulgaria, but there are growing concerns about hybrid attacks by Russia as it wages war in Ukraine.

Shipping sources said it appeared to be the first such attack in Bulgarian waters.

Two ships were hit in the attack, Radev said in a televised statement. The crew of one, which was carrying grain, was rescued, with two injured. The other, which sank, was a Togo-flagged ship whose cargo was not disclosed.

A search has been launched for the missing crew and for any signs of an environmental threat.

A maritime security source said initial assessments of the strike suggested it had probably been a Russian attack. Russia did not immediately comment on the incident.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VARNA, BULGARIA (OCTOBER 6, 2026) (NOVA TV – No use Bulgaria)

1. VARIOUS OF DOCK AT PORT

2. POLICE AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL AWAITING SAILOR NEXT TO AMBULANCE PARKED AT DOCK

3. SIGN ON AMBULANCE, READING (Bulgarian): “Military Medical Academy.”

4. VARIOUS OF POLICE AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL AWAITING SAILOR NEXT TO AMBULANCES

5. BORDER POLICE CAR PARKED AT DOCK

6. POLICE, PEOPLE STANDING

7. BOAT CARRYING RESCUED SAILOR APPROACHING DOCK

8. BORDER POLICE CAR PARKED AT DOCK

9. VARIOUS OF SAILOR BEING HELPED OUT OF BOAT

10. RESCUED SAILOR LYING INSIDE AMBULANCE, AMBULANCE DOOR CLOSING